'We have come a long way'

FT: England 2-1 Croatia

England midfielder Fabian Delph: "It was an absolutely amazing day. We’ve come a long way in
12 months. We came up short in the World Cup but we wanted to put it right and
we’ve done that today. They’re a good team.

"The performance was really good. We should have put it to
bed in the first half. We’re a young team but we have old heads on our
shoulders. The chances came and we managed to take them.

"It showed a lot of character and there’s a lot of character in
the dressing room. The togetherness has been there for 18 months now. We didn’t
panic and we’ve got more than enough to win games.

"We’ve come a long way and we’re really looking forward to
that semi-final. In the dressing room the energy was electric. We’re glad we
can do ourselves proud and to bring the nation together."

Post update

More from Gareth Southgate to Sky: "I felt we were more in control in the first half than we were in the [World Cup] semi-final. We were much more controlled in possession.

"It felt as if we could open them up and make good chances. The players are starting to believe in the system. We have some players so comfortable building from the back. The depth in the squad since the summer has grown with the young players. Whoever comes in during this competition have all delivered.

"We felt the balance in the midfield was important. We knew if we had to accelerate, we had game-changers on the bench. In the last five minutes we were mature enough to see things through."

'We saw this as an opportunity'

More from Southgate on Sky: "We didn’t discuss relegation [beforehand] – we just saw this as a opportunity. We saw it as a quarter-final.

"It’s great as we had to live with the pressure. If we can get an atmosphere like that we’ll be very strong.

"We’ve come out of an incredibly tough group, in terms of form and world rankings the toughest.

"We haven’t sat back after the summer and preened ourselves. We’ve progressed. People can see the style and start to believe in what we’re doing. The biggest thing is the connection with the fans - I haven't seen the new Wembley like that. The way it feels with
the fans is special. It’s giving us the energy to try to go on and break new
barriers all the time.”

'It's incredible'

"We were disappointed not to take our chances but
against big sides you have to stay calm. We said after the World Cup we want to
keep progressing and get better - and the way to do that is by beating top teams. We finished the year strong. We’ll enjoy this
one.

"It’s incredible, I've never seen Wembley like this in an England
shirt. We want to make everyone proud. I know they’ll enjoy this one."